The UK's largest dry-cleaning chain said it will close more than a third of its stores this year in a move set to impact on hundreds of jobs.

Johnson Service Group plans to close 109 of its 307 Johnson Cleaners branches as it continues a shift away from traditional high street locations towards collection and delivery points within supermarkets.

The company has not disclosed how many jobs will go but, with a typical store employing four people, the planned closures may affect more than 400 jobs.

It follows loss-making fashion chain Bank announcing it had entered administration - putting more than 1,500 jobs at risk. 

Johnson, which also closed more than 100 branches in 2012, said the dry-cleaning business failed to grow sales last year despite several initiatives to reach new customers.

It has established collection and delivery points in office premises with a high concentration of staff and now has a presence within 78 Waitrose stores, with a further 46 locations due to be opened in the early part of this year.

The company is also planning to launch an online home collection and delivery service for higher-value or bulky items.

The majority of stores set for closure have leases expiring within the next two years, with renewal not seen as financially viable.

Johnson said: "Drycleaning continues to operate in a difficult high street environment and despite several initiatives to reach new customers the like for like sales increase we achieved in 2013 has not been maintained in 2014.  

"We are commencing a consultation exercise with affected employees and anticipate that branches will close during the first half of the year.

"The remaining 198 better-performing premium branches are in more convenient locations with an infrastructure capable of receiving dry cleaning from various collection and delivery points."

In a trading update yesterday the firm said its strategy was to develop alternative, more convenient collection and delivery locations such as in Waitrose stores.  In addition, it has established collection and delivery points in offices with large numberss of  staff. For higher value or bulky items, it plans to launch a new online home collection and delivery service from mid 2015.